


i've met you before, in another lifetime, in another galaxy

by goodboysweaterTM



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Love at First Sight, Meet-Cute, it's a stargazing singles night okay, leia just wants her son to be happy, poe loves to meddle, rose/jannah makes an appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:54:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23160538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodboysweaterTM/pseuds/goodboysweaterTM
Summary: Rey and Ben attend a stargazing singles night at the behest of their friends. They spot each other fromacross the venue and worlds collide when they finally meet.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 16
Kudos: 80
Collections: Reylo Charity Anthology: Volume 2





	i've met you before, in another lifetime, in another galaxy

This had not been her idea. Rey had planned to come home from a long day of work and snuggle up with her favorite, faded quilt, a bottle of sparkling wine, and her pile of unread science fiction novels. Instead she is standing in uncomfortable heels on a rooftop in the outskirts of town, at a stargazing singles night no less. The idea of stargazing sounded far too romantic of a backdrop for the purpose of meeting a bunch of other lonely, desperate people but Rose had nearly forced her hand. She brought it up during their lunch break that day and after nearly an hour of watching her and Jannah giggle and feed each other bites of fruit, Rey had been ready to scream--or cry, perhaps both. Most of the time she valued her independence above all else, for she had spent most of her life making her way in the world on only her own will, but it was hard not to want for the warm companionship of a partner when she saw how happy and fulfilled it made her best friend. So she said yes when Rose pleaded with her to give the event a shot, citing the fact that she and Jannah met at a similar one the year before. Rey had thought of countless excuses to get out of going for the entire rest of the day but some feeling in the back of her mind kept her from actually voicing them to Rose. So here she was with a plastic cup of sparkling water in her hand and a heart-shaped name tag slapped on the lapel of her jacket.

The observation deck of what is surely a research facility is covered in twinkling string lights and an array of high-top tables situated around various telescopes. There is a small buffet of finger foods that Rey has already wasted a decent amount of time perusing and, next to it, a well-stocked bar. She had thought about asking for a glass of strong liquid courage but ultimately decided against it. And then, in an attempt to further prolong the inevitable, she skulked off to a corner to observe. Which is where she currently leans, watching the newly acquainted couples conversing across tabletops and waiting in lines to get better looks up at the stars through the telescopes. Rey allows herself one last moment of regret in having agreed to this and then pushes off from the railing to make her way into the thrum of people.

\---

Ben doesn’t know why he agreed to this. Well, he hadn’t exactly. The decision was made for him at lunch with his mother the previous week. It would have been different if it had just been he and his mother. But when Leia called to make sure he would actually show up, she heard Poe‘s teasing jabs in the background. After forcing Ben to hand over the phone to Poe and an awkward thirty minutes in which he hovered nearby as Poe laughed and gossiped with his mother, Leia insisted that his best friend join them for lunch. It was over the salad course that Poe brought up the Singles Night Under the Stars and Leia’s eyes snapped directly to Ben. He sat there quietly seething as Poe tried to convince him that this was the perfect way for him to re-enter the dating scene. Ben had always believed in meeting people the old-fashioned way, but since he had yet to meet his perfect other half at 31 years old, he supposed the old-fashioned way was not working in his favor. All the while he could feel Leia’s lingering gaze skittering over his face and he finally cracked under the weight of it. The venomous ‘fine’ he huffed under his breath brought a small, warm smile to his mother’s face and that alone, he decided, was worth the pain he knew he would endure.

And painful it was, he thought as he stood alone at a table, nursing an IPA and running a hand through his hair for the fifth time in as many minutes. Poe had long since abandoned him to mingle, social butterfly and smooth talker that he was. Ben took another gulp of beer, steeled himself with a final deep breath, and disembarked from his lonely table island. Scanning the buzzing crowd, he searched for anyone who wasn’t already deep in conversation with a potential match. He felt awkward and uncomfortable in his own skin as he weaved aimlessly through the arrangement of tables, trying to appear approachable and open despite his looming and intense figure. He had nearly reached the bar when he spotted her. A lithe woman in a bright orange jumpsuit under a weathered jean jacket. Her face sunkissed and scattered with freckles. The glittering lights that surrounded her seemed to make her glow against the dark night and as cheesy as it sounded even to his own brain, for a moment she was all he could see. Ben swallowed the lump in his throat and just as his feet began to work again, another woman crossed his path and introduced herself. Ever the gentleman his mother raised him to be, he watched from the corner of his eye as the radiant woman slipped deeper into the crowd.

\---

Rey had been talking to mediocre men for what seemed like three lifetimes. A curly-haired blonde named Matt, a beanie-sporting tech intern called Randy, and a brooding private security guard named Kylo. They had all been varying degrees of warm and talkative but they weren’t what she was looking for. What exactly that was, she wasn’t sure. Excusing herself from a conversation with a bubbly pilot named Snap with the intention of replenishing her drink, she turns to plot a course through the maze of tables and bodies. That’s when she spots him, leaning on a table only a few yards away from the open bar and facing her. He towers over the women he’s talking to and she watches as he runs a hand through waves of dark, silky hair and then shoves his hands in the front pockets of his dark blue blazer. His face bears a constellation of moles and there is a warmth to it despite his serious expression. She’s not sure how long she has been staring at his broad shoulders and deep brown eyes when they flick up to meet hers. Trained on her, they seem to burn and smolder. And then his full lips break out into a truly incandescent smile of crooked teeth and adorable dimples and she is a goner. It is so unavoidably contagious and now she is smiling too.

Then he is excusing himself from his conversation and they are walking towards each other like two stars destined to collide. Up close he looks even more formidable, his white button up straining against his chest as the buttons threaten to pop, and she has to tilt her head to meet his eyes that dance with mirth, even in her heels.

“Hi. I’m Ben,” he says in greeting, the corners of his mouth beginning to tilt into another smile.

“I’m Rey,” she replies, a little breathless. And then she is reaching out her hand and he is reaching out his. Their fingers touch and it feels like coming home, like they have known each other in many universes, in many lifetimes. Ben sees an inevitable history and Rey sees an endless future. In this moment they know that neither of them will ever be alone again.

They spend hours talking and laughing and stealing lingering touches. Ben teaches her about the constellations that can be seen in the endless sky of this cool May night and Rey teaches him about the complex mechanics behind the telescopes and equipment they’re using. They’re still enraptured with each other when the event comes to a close. Ben slings his blazer over her shoulders and walks her to her car, his hand entwined in hers. He asks if he can kiss her and then he is pressing her into the side of her car, soft lips and hard planes of muscle moving against her. It is unlike anything she has ever experienced before. She sees a galaxy explode on the backs of her eyelids as he kisses her, a million sparkling stars and swirling planets. When he pulls away there’s a look in his eyes that tells her that he can see it too.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so proud of my incredibly talented fellow artists and writers who created amazing work for this volume of the Reylo Charity Anthology, as well as everyone who donated to raise over $18,000. I love this community and I'm glad I could give a little something back to it!
> 
> Let me know what you think below and come say hi on [twitter](https://www.twitter.com/bensoloisatop)!


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